Syllabus – Module 5

Nursing Care to Prevent Infections and Pressure Injuries

Introduction – This learning module will cover specific strategies to prevent infections in long-term care facilities. Participants will also learn about the causes of pressure injury, how nursing staff can prevent pressure injuries, and ways to manage them if they do occur. This module will emphasize the importance of the nursing assessment as it relates to resident care and infection prevention efforts. Infection risks and pressure injury risks must be incorporated into nursing assessments and interventions to maximize resident safety using a team approach.

Pre-test– Participants will complete a pre-test to evaluate their level of understanding and awareness about these topics.

Attendees will learn the following:

  • Hand hygiene: Difference between washing with soap and using hand sanitizer
  • Respiratory/cough etiquette
  • Difference between cleaning and disinfecting
  • Standard and transmission precautions
  • Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Pressure ulcer risks, assessment tools
  • Pressure ulcer staging & management

You will need:

  • Pen/pencil
  • Calculator (optional)
  • Red apples

Infection Prevention and Control

Preventing infections is especially important in long-term care because residents are at higher risk of infection. When they get infections, residents can have serious complications. Hand hygiene is one of the most basic ways to prevent the spread of infectious disease. This includes handwashing with soap and water, as well as using alcohol-based hand sanitizer. It’s also important to use respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, which help prevent infections spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes. CMS now requires long-term care facilities to develop an Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP) that includes an Antibiotic Stewardship Program and designate someone to serve as the Infection Prevention and Control Officer (IPCO). The infection prevention and control program should make sure employees are trained on proper use of personal protective equipment; make sure employees receive their recommended vaccinations; and monitor hand hygiene, linen handling, equipment cleaning, and safe injection practices.

Standard & Transmission-based Precautions (Isolation)

Employees should have training on proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, gowns, and masks. These types of PPE are used for standard and transmission precautions to prevent exposure to infectious diseases. Special precautions are needed when caring for long-term care residents. The type of precaution depends on what type of infection the resident has. This module will discuss appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the following infection precautions: standard, droplet, contact, and airborne. Participants will learn the proper sequence for donning (putting on) and doffing (taking off) PPE.

Activity: “Count Up to Infection”

Pressure Injury

Residents in long-term care facilities may have risks for injury due to unrelieved pressure on parts of the body. There are ways to prevent this type of injury (also known as pressure sores, decubitus ulcers, or bed sores). If a resident has a pressure injury, there are strategies to help it heal faster. This module will explain various methods for assessing resident’s risk of pressure injury; ways to prevent pressure injury; and strategies to manage them if a resident has this type of problem.

Activity: “Apples to Apples” pressure ulcer staging demonstration

Post-test– Participantswill complete a post-test to help measure improvements in their understanding and awareness about these topics.

Resources and References

  • Infection Preventionist’s Guide to Long-Term Care (APIC)
  • Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC)
  • Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
  • Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings
  • Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings
  • Using personal protective equipment (PPE) the right way
  • Infection Control Assessment Tool for Long-term Care Facilities
  • Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes
  • Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes - Checklist
  • CDC’s Infection Control Assessment Tool for Long-term Care Facilities
  • CDC Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings
  • CDC Measuring Hand Hygiene Adherence: Overcoming the Challenges
  • Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers
  • “One and Only Campaign” for injection safety
  • OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
  • Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Workplace
  • Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Injection Safety
  • Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
  • Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings
  • Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings
  • Using personal protective equipment (PPE) the right way
  • Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes
  • Checklist: Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes
  • Infection Control Transfer Form (Examples)
  • National Transitions of Care Coalition

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